The Venom of Tomorrow
by BoltLightning
Summary: 6th year. Time is running out for wizarding kind. A new threat lurks beyond the horizon. With the Order members denying him the respect that he deserves Harry must rise to meet this new challenge. Only time will tell if he will be strong enough.
1. The Dawn of a New Age

The Venom of Tomorrow  
  
By: Bolt Lightning  
  
Notes: This story will be posted on Fanfiction.net. I plan on working on this story for a while so that I do not get so tired by only working with one. It does become a bit bothersome to only type on one story. I cannot use all of my ideas and I find that it tends to be harder to write. This story WILL have a sequel so I also have to work with that in mind. Enjoy…  
  
The Dawn of a New Age  
  
Harry Potter lay on a lumpy mattress in the smallest bedroom at Number 4 Privet Drive staring at the pealing paint on the ceiling. It was just two days after he had returned "home" to his "loving family" and so far he had not been forced to do any chores whatsoever. It seemed as though the threats made by Mad - Eye Moody along with Tonks and Remus had gotten through his aunt and uncles thick skulls. Now they would not even look at him and he could not help but think that this was some sort of improvement.  
  
None of this mattered to the teenager and he could care less what his last living relatives did. He had seen death before and could not help but think in some morbid way that it was attracted to him like moths to a flame. Many people that the black haired teen knew had died not because of their acquaintance with him but because they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Harry admitted to himself that he was never that close to Sirius and the pain was not as hard to deal with as one would think. Long ago he had dealt with his feelings about death. Crying in his cupboard while trying to imagine what his mom and dad would be like if they were still alive was the only time that he mourned death and that was shortly before his enrollment in Hogwarts.  
  
Still, it tore at his heart to lose another person who could have become something like a surrogate father to him. One had to wonder how many lives would be lost in this war that was just beyond the horizon. He was tired of being pampered and treated as though he were a piece of china that was about to break.  
  
Professor Binns and Nearly Headless Nick had probably already told the headmaster about the conversations that he had with them that took place shortly before the end of the year. Everyone who was present saw how down in the dumps he was those last days of the semester. Most thought that it was just because Sirius had died but it was not. He had made a foolish mistake that caused his godfather's life to be taken prematurely and that only seemed to intensify the pain because he fell into the trap set by his nemesis. What was witnessed at the end of the year by staff, students, and friends was nothing but self-loathing mixed with sorrow.  
  
Breaking out of his reverie he sat up on the bed and placed his bare feet on the cool wooden floor. Times were going to get rough and he knew that right now he had hardly any skills. Once Voldemort came to put his neck on a pike he had no way of defending himself. It was not like speaking with snakes would help him because the bastard could speak with the cold-blooded beasts as well and heaven forbid if he lost his wand. God life was just peachy king.  
  
"Well, I might as well get started on my homework," he spoke to thin air as he grabbed his Transfiguration textbook along with several roles of parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink.  
  
Several hours later and an essay completed he sighed as he blew on the parchment to dry the still fresh ink. The assignment was "Describe human to animal transfiguration and the difficulties therein" with a two and a half roll minimum. Harry swore that the old woman was a slave driver. She was not as ruthless as Snape, was the head of Gryffindor and a little partial to her own house (especially when it came to the Quidditch cup), but she was still a slave driver in her own right. Stretching and yawning he made his way downstairs to the kitchen to put together a bite to eat. The Dursleys were all huddled around the television watching some sort of stupid game show where people ate gross stuff to try to win money. Nobody had bothered to call him down to dinner not that they cared if he rotted away or not as long as they did not get into any trouble. After making a sandwich and cleaning up the mess once he was finished he made his way back to his room to turn in for the night.  
  
Remembering that he had been told to write to the members of the Order every three days he picked up a piece of parchment and began to make the letter before he fell asleep.  
  
Hello,  
  
How is everyone? I am sure that you are all fine. Not much is going on here since the discussion at the beginning of summer at the train station and the Horse, Hog, and Pig have behaved. You can expect the next letter in three days.  
  
What will come will come and I will be ready for it when it does...  
  
Scarface  
  
The next morning Molly Weasley was shocked to see Hedwig fly through the open kitchen window as she was making breakfast. Hermione was well as the rest of the Grangers were staying at Grimmauld Place, as it was the safest place for them now that dark times were on their way. It was common knowledge that the two Gryffindor sixth years were best friends with Harry Potter and would thus be likely targets. Walking over she untied the parchment from the snowy owl's leg. After being released from her burden she had taken off out of the window again without waiting for a reply. The plump red head could not help but think that this was odd behavior from the owl as it usually waited for a reply to take back to her master. Shaking her head she opened the letter and began to read.  
  
The days wore away and within a week Harry was finally finished with his homework. Well, almost all of his homework with the exception of potions. Professor Snape's assignment was "List and describe the ingredients and procedures used in the creation of the Draught of the Living Death and tell both the positive and negative aspects of its use." Of course the assignment was not in any of the potions textbooks that Harry had and he knew that he had a snowballs chance in hell of ever stepping foot into Diagon Alley this year. IF he was allowed he knew that he would have a full entourage of Order members tagging along.  
  
Bored out of his skull at the lack of absolutely anything to do he did the only thing that he could think of which was to begin reading his books again. Starting with his first year transfiguration book he made a startling discovery. There were at least six chapters that they had never gone over. Spells and wand movements were told that he had never seen in the class. Checking the other years he noticed that this was a trend. Each year they would get a brand new book with brand new spells yet they never finished. (A/N: This stuff really does happen and it begins to piss you off when you buy and hundred and eighty dollar book and only go through nearly nine out of thirty four chapters.)  
  
Slowly but surely he began to understand Transfiguration a little better. Setting down the fifth year book he prepared to start on his charms texts when he noticed that he had several new additions to his room that made it a little more cramped than it used to be. It seemed as though Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia had decided to get their "Darling Duddleykins" a brand new weight set and had loaded the others in here. There was a weight bench and several cracked weights. Seeing nothing better to do he went over and began to lift weights. After all, book smarts cannot take you everywhere. Getting into a regular routine he never really noticed the time begin to fly by. He was not very muscular but was better off than what he used to be and he understood all of his subjects better (all except for Divination which made absolutely no sense to him whatsoever). One thing that Harry hated the most of all was that he was still very short for his age and could be classified as a midget.  
  
Five foot four inches was NOT very tall. Hell, he knew of second and third years that were taller than him. He had to look up at everyone he talked to. Harry swore to himself that as soon as he got to Hogwarts he was going to drink some Skelegrow. Ron thought in fourth year that Hagrid had just gotten hold of a bad batch of skelegrow when really his burly friend was a half giant. It pissed him off to no end that he could not reach the top shelf on a bookcase. Things were beginning to look up for Harry as he matured. That would all change on his birthday. 


	2. Birthday Blues

The Venom of Tomorrow  
  
By: Bolt Lightning  
  
Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, most people don't read this anyway. Check out the first chapter if you want to figure out what it says because I do not want to have to type the darn thing over and over again.  
  
Chapter 2 - Birthday Blues  
  
The neighborhood of Little Winging was silent on the night of the thirtieth of July. The residents of this area were not awake and were sleeping peacefully in their beds before they had to go to work the next day. Several of their children were awake fooling around and doing things that would disgrace the families if the information ever came out to the public but the parents were blissfully ignorant of this. Truth to be told several of the families new what their children but they did not care what happened as long as the neighbors did not find out. Each family strived to best their neighbors in anything from how expensive their car was or how pretty their flower beds were and would not let the neighbors see anything that could cause any gossip. In Number 4 Privet Drive the Dursleys were all nestled snug in their beds but there was one soul who lived with them that was not. The young boy no the nearly full-grown wizard awake on that street was none other than Harry Potter.  
  
Everyone in the Muggle world believed that he was a juvenile delinquent and an all around bad egg who went to St. Brutus' Secure Center for Incurable Criminal Boys (Sheeewwwww...wipes the sweat from his brow that comes from saying incredibly long words that do not really mean anything to the story) thanks to his only living relatives. Every year they strived to make his life a living hell and Harry seriously doubted that he would be able to ever get a job in the muggle world even if he had tried. No one wanted to befriend the "lazy lag about" let alone give him a job. Alas, I have gotten off of track talking about his relatives. The importance of this day was that it was his birthday and he was the only one that lived on Privet Drive that would think of it as more than just another day.  
  
Before Harry began attending Hogwarts he would not have expected anything for his birthday and may have even forgotten it a couple of times. Now that he had friends and a surrogate family it was a day to look forward to as the presents that he received told him that he was not forgotten, that he was not a freak, that he was not the boy who lived, that he was somebody and that he had people out there who he could depend upon no matter what. The clock stuck twelve and he looked out of his window expecting to see a flock of owls heading toward him any minute now but there was only one approaching speck in the midnight sky.  
  
Hooting, the lone owl flew through the window that the teenager opened and landed on his bed. Hedwig was inside of her cage since he would need to send the owl to the order in the case something possibly fatal were to happen, such as death eaters knocking on his front door. At first Harry believed that Dumbledore had once again forbidden owl post to him just like he did the summer before but when he opened the letter and the parcel attached he knew that this was not the truth.  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
Happy Birthday. Well at least I think that July 31st is your birthday. The trip to the Department of Mysteries at the end of the last school year was simply marvelous and truly invigorating. I hope that we can do it again. Daddy and I are going to go to Africa to search in the several of the jungles there for the elusive Crumple Horned Snorkack. See you in September.  
  
Luna Lovegood  
  
P.S. Are you planning on continuing the D.A. this year?  
  
Pissed off was not the only word that could be used to describe Harry as he ripped open the paper to pull out a necklace made of macaroni and string. The owl had already left not waiting for a reply and if it were not for the fact that his uncle was liable to take his stuff away he would have yelled, screamed, and threw the rickety chair that sat in front of his old broken down desk through the window. Beyond furious Harry launched the "jewelry" out into the night as far as he could throw and it ended up hitting the window of the house across the street.  
  
"Some friends I have. They can't even be bothered to remember my birthday after all the time that we have known each other for Christ's sake. A crazy girl that I have known for barely one year remembers what everyone else seems to have forgotten. I know there is no damn restriction this summer or Luna's owl would have never been able to make it here. Even Remus, the last of the true Marauders, has forgotten that this was my birthday. Well I say to hell with them and to hell with the Order of the Phoenix," muttered the boy who lived to himself under his breath as he plopped himself down on the mattress and laid back.  
  
Knowing that there was something positive that he could do with his anger he made his way over to a pile on the floor and picked up the barbell, added several more weights than what he normally had on it and began working out swearing that he would make them pay forgetting him in this suburban hell hole. One day he would get his revenge. First though he would have to pay them all back for everything that they had done for him in the past so that he would not feel obligated to NEED to pay them back in the future.  
  
Time seemed to fly by and before he knew it he could hear the Dursley's getting up for another day. (The sounds of agony from the floorboards sounded like they might have given way to the massive pressure, which in all actuality they probably would one day.) Deciding that it would be good to actually eat a meal with the "family," Harry made his way downstairs and sat at the table awaiting the company. Several minutes later aunt Petunia made here way into the kitchen where she totally overlooked her nephew as she began cooking the enormous breakfast for her "growing boy."  
  
Harry was sitting at the table in the kitchen and literally twiddling his thumbs when his uncle walked in to set down and read the newspaper. It was thus a shock to see his nephew sitting at the table when the freak had barely left his room all summer. Vernon's face turned purple with unsuppressed rage that his wife was slaving over the stove while the kid lounged around doing nothing.  
  
"What do you think that you are doing BOY!? Sitting on your sorry arse while we slave over you! You ungrateful piece of trash!"  
  
"Good morning to you too uncle Vernon. You do not mind me sitting here for breakfast do you?"  
  
Uncle Vernon got even madder and one could swear that steam was coming from his ears. Aunt Petunia turned from flipping the pancakes in the skillet and began to open her mouth to speak. It was obvious that she was on the side of her husband since she despised magic so but before she even began Harry started up again.  
  
"You do remember my friends from the train station do you not? Then you also remember the threats that they made to you at the train station. If that is not enough then you should know that they are watching this house as we speak."  
  
Both of the adults looked around the room and Petunia closed the curtains after looking though the window. Neither of them liked their nephew but they did not want those other freaks to come around. That one that had visited them on that midnight of Potter's eleventh birthday was bad enough.  
  
"Maybe it would be a good idea to remind you that next summer I will be seventeen and allowed to get kicked out of school. Hagrid, that big bulking man who visited that stormy night oh so many years ago did not even get to finish his third year at school," a look of dawning horror crossed Petunia's face while Vernon stood there not comprehending it yet, "By now I have had twice the education that he has had. I do not like you and you do not like me so at least we have that straight. You could say that if you scratch my back then I will scratch yours."  
  
"Okay boy, let us hear it," Vernon spoke with a growl.  
  
"Aunt Petunia has heard of the horrors that Voldemort inflicted before he was struck down," after seeing her nod he continued, "what you do not know is that the people that are watching this place want me to fight him. ME! They say that they are here to protect me but the real reason is that they are here to protect themselves. I am supposed to kill the bastard but I know that I cannot do that and I want out. This is where we get to the proposition. Uncle Vernon, while you are gone to work I want you to pick me up a decent running motorcycle and get me books so that I can get my permit (A/N: I know that this is what it is like in America. As I have no clue what it is like in any other country I will go by this. Anyone with a permit can ride a motorcycle by themselves but to have a passenger with you requires a license.), and find out and write down the directions to the music shop that was right beside the leaky cauldron that you took me to before." (A/N: I do not think that they did but let us say for all purposes in this story that they have.)  
  
Uncle Vernon began to sputter and begin to refuse but before he could the boy who lived continued, "In return I will give you anything that you want. I can brew a potion that will make Dudley loose all of that weight, I can give Aunt Petunia a fertilizer that will make her flower beds envied by everyone around for their beauty, and I will make sure Uncle Vernon that my shadow will never darken your doorstep again as long as you are alive."  
  
A grin spread across their faces as they realized how much that this would benefit them. It would cost a bit for the motorbike but other than that they would be free of the boy, have a healthy son, and every woman in her Flowers Guild would look up to Petunia.  
  
Vernon held out his hand and taking Harry's, shook it once and said, "You have a deal."  
  
Read/Review 


End file.
